‘The Americans’ Recap: Season 2, Episode 11, ‘Stealth’

Until last week, I wasn’t sure how lethal Larrick could be. He was talked up as dangerous, but we hadn’t really seen anything. Like the episode’s title, he was “Stealth.” But this week he showed how deadly he really is and for the first time, I’m a little scared for our comrades on “The Americans.”

But we’ll get to that. Nina spills the tea about Stan and Sandra being on the outs, and Arkady sees it as a chance for them to get more info on the stealth technology. Nina tells them OK, but her eyes scream terrified. Arkady let Oleg in on Nina’s past indiscretions with Stan and says she can either comply or be sent back to Russia for trial.

Oleg proves himself to be someone who actually cares for her, both when he gifts her with a Young Pioneers pin and when he tells her she needs to get away.

“If you don’t think Agent Beeman will betray his country for you, you need to run,” he tells her.

And run she does, right to Beeman. He vows not to let anything happen to her. But how did she get away so easily? If Arkady suspected her, why wasn’t she sent directly to Moscow, the way Vasili was? I hope Stan’s not so love-blind that he misses that little detail.

He’s already talking up the cool parts of his job to Henry. He goes to Beeman needing to write a report on a hero and chose our favorite FBI agent. I think this is the first episode where we see the lighter side of Stan. He speaks with such enthusiasm for his field. But when asked about what it’s like to be a hero, he deadpans, “I’m not a hero.”

He may not be a hero, but he’s much better than this season’s villain, Larrick. The writers and Lee Tergesen have done an excellent job of building up the terrifying aspects of this character. The thing about Larrick is that unlike, Philip, Elizabeth or even Stan Beeman, he’s not fighting for a cause. Larrick may be a soldier, but he doesn’t fight for a cause but his own. He says he wants revenge on the “scumbags” who killed his friends, but were they really? Or is he just miffed that the botched mission could lead back to him? Either way, he’s a man on a mission and it’s leading to deadly consequences.

He’s already wordlessly killed the dispatch guy. Now he’s stalking Kate, but he’s not the only one. Philip tells Elizabeth that the FBI know about Emmett and Leann, so Elizabeth goes to see Jared to figure out where his head is. He’s kind of cagey, fiddling with an orange, but he seems to not have any real knowledge of who his parents were. Just to be sure, Elizabeth follows him and sees him meet with Kate, sans disguise. So, so many questions about that.

Alas, they’d never be answered, because Kate comes home to a weird feeling. She stows away in the bathroom for a few minutes and exits with her gun in order to get into a scuffle with Larrick. He trusses her up, hanging her by her wrists from the sturdiest ceiling fan known to man. Swinging her around like a tetherball, Larrick calmly asks for the whereabouts of Philip and Elizabeth. She responds with spit to the eye. Realizing this is a dead end, Larrick breaks her neck.

Now the Centre has lost contact with both the dispatch guy and Kate, and Philip and Elizabeth have to find out what’s going on. But before they can get work, they have to deal with family life and that means Paige. I give Paige credit for sticking to her guns. Elizabeth’s “Because I’m your mother reasoning for not allowing Paige to go to church camp wasn’t strong enough. She tried the silent treatment and even made a dent in Philip’s armor.

“I just don’t want to crush her spirit,” he tells Elizabeth.

Mrs. Jennings wasn’t swayed until Paige found a cause her parents could get behind: protesting nuclear bombers. Elizabeth finally consents, telling Philip over laundry that she realizes her daughter is just like her. You think?

After dealing with Paige, they get back to work wearing not-at-all conspicuous all-black outfits and black caps. The break into Kate’s house to find that it has been wiped clean. But Kate was smart enough to leave just one clue. She coded a message on an empty toilet roll: “Get Jared out.”

Side thoughts:

* I’m actually a little sad to see Kate go. She was just starting to grow on me. But I hope we get more answers as to Jared’s role in all of this instead of more questions.

* Let’s pay tribute to the most incredible disguise we’ve seen in two seasons. The costume designers trade in Philip’s greasy wig and mustache for what appears to be a costume inspired by “Duck Dynasty.” Matthew Rhys even picks up a mumble-mouth drawl to turn a former Lockheed employee with cancer to the Russian cause. The man, named John, says he developed brain cancer working around the paint used on the stealth planes.

* This is a show for adults and should cater to adult sensibilities. However, there is the discrepancy between male and female nudity. If Anton the scientist is going to wake up post coitus with a naked woman on top of his bed, it seems odd that he’s fully clothed and under all the covers. That scene was reminiscent of one between Elizabeth and Philip a few weeks ago. The show should try to be consistent and fair with its portrayals of body. Otherwise, it’s just gratuitous.

So, what did you think? How much longer can Stan and Sandra stay in a marriage neither one wants to be in? And while he’s dealing with that, how’s he going to keep his mistress safe? And what is Larrick’s endgame?

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